


The Afterlife of Droids

by Lisalicious



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, The Interesting Questions That Children Ask
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-22 19:40:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10703769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lisalicious/pseuds/Lisalicious
Summary: Little inquiring minds want to know.Ben asks, "Mom, what happens to droids when they die?"





	The Afterlife of Droids

Leia blinked down into the bright brown eyes of her young son.  She had been reading a current report on a possible pocket of Imperialists on a planet in the Outer Rim. She had just started brainstorming where to look for the funding and man-power to explore said pocket when her young son came bounding in.

She had been spending a rare bit of vacation time with her little son, Ben, when she received the comm message demanding her immediate attention, so she called upon Threepio to watch the boy for what she hoped would be a short while. Ben naturally threw a small fit, and threw a glass ornament against the wall with the Force. Leia tried to explain that she worked so things could be better for him when he was older, but Ben grumped in response.

If only Han hadn’t left for another supply run with Chewie.

Now that her boy had run into the room she checked the time on her datapad to see an hour and a half had passed. She hadn’t meant to be working that long. This was supposed to be their time together, and she had promised to keep the work to a bare minimum. Plus she could work after Ben went to bed.

“What did you say again, Darling?” she asked as she set down the datapad.

Ben huffed impatiently and crossed his little arms.

“What happens to droids when they die?”

Leia gave him a confused look and reached for her son, to draw him up onto her lap.

“What brought this question on?”

“Threepio was telling me stories.”

“And his stories made you question that?”

“Yeah, see-“

“Ben, where is Threepio?” His eyes widened as if he’d been caught. “Ben…what did you do to him?”

“Nothing! I gots excited and-“

“What did you do?”

“NOTHING!! He said stuff about the Rogue One crew and there was K-2SO, and then I thought about all the astros who get shot down with their ships, and all the droids on the Death Stars, and well…you and Unca Luke said we become one with the Force when we die, so it made me wonder ‘bout what happens to droids.” He said all of this very quickly so his mother wouldn’t interrupt him. “I know I’m not ‘posed to run from Threepio, but I just…I gots excited.”

Leia smiled at her boy, and snuggled him close. (She was rather relieved that Ben hadn’t done any damage to their protocol droid.)

“Well, Ben, it all depends on what happened to the droid. If their power sources fail, if minor enough damage is done, a droid can be easily repaired. Even if the damage is more extensive repair is possible. Take Threepio himself, he was blown apart on Bespin in the Cloud City. Uncle Chewie was able to fix him. If certain parts are too damaged to be repaired, you can always reuse other parts to make new droids or repair others. The ones that receive too much damage, the ones blown out of the sky with their ships, the ones on the death stars. They’re gone. Maybe someday parts might be salvaged from when they’re floating in space. But I like to think they’ve had good lives, served their masters as well as they could, and maybe their personalities will wake up in another droid someday.”

A clattering in the hall announced Threepio’s approach.

“Princess Leia…er, Senator Leia, I’m terribly sorry, but Master Ben has…” He ran into the room as fast as his legs would carry him. His words of worry died as he saw that Leia was holding the young boy he had lost. “I see Master Ben has found you.”

“Yes, Threepio,” Leia laughed. “Ben came to find me, but he knows he’s not supposed to run from you and is going to apologize as soon as we finish our little talk. Aren’t you, Benny?”

“Yes, Mama,” Ben replied, hiding his face on her shoulder.

“And maybe after that, we can go and get some ice cream?”

“Yeah!”


End file.
